After grinding out a punishing ground game against host Ripon, East Union’s Cesar Salinas picked off a pass in the game’s closing seconds to secure the 28-21 win for the Lancers on Friday night in non-league football action at Stouffer Field.

“On that last pick we knew they were going to dish it out and throw it,” Salinas said. “I just had to get to my zone and the ball just got right to me.

“When I was running the ball, I just had to do my job and read my keys and my pulling guard. I just did what the coach wanted me to do.”

Salinas ground out 80 yards on 16 carries.

East Union (2-1) went to work quick, taking a 14-0 lead into the second quarter behind a 23-yard pass from Kirk Simoni (23 of 29 passing, 268 yards, three touchdowns, interception) to Jackson Fay (10 receptions, 108 yards) and a 17-yard scoring run by Carson Sanders. Simoni added a third-quarter 19-yard scoring pass to Sanders and engineered a six-play, 69-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard scoring pass to Blake Mount (10 receptions, 122 yards) with 24 seconds left in the game for the 28-21 lead. 

“First, we have to thank the linemen,” Simoni said. “Because it all starts with them and tonight they did a great job. And then we have receivers that I am so blessed to throw to. They make plays and it’s just fun to have great receivers.”

In addition to his offensive contributions, Sanders was a beast on defense with 10 tackles.

“I am just trying to get better every day and my team is really helping me out,” Sanders said. “I am just trying to help my team as much as I can.”

Vincent Hudson made two second-half interceptions for the Lancers.

“I just read my keys and read the receivers,” Hudson said.

This game could have gone either way, and East Union coach Mike Kuhlenz knew his squad had been in a hard-fought game.

“Ripon is a physical team, they play in the TVL (Trans-Valley League), and they came out and popped us in the mouth tonight,” Kuhlenz said. “For the most part, I thought we played great on defense, but we did give up a couple of big plays.

“Give credit to their defense, they were getting pressure on us and stopping us from running it. They did a great job of game planning for us and they gave us fits with their scheme and hats off to them. They did a phenomenal job. Their coaches did great and their players played hard. It was a hard-fought game.”

The Lancers did have their share of turnovers. Eric Tobin and Brandon Blake each recovered a muffed East Union punt for the Indians (1-2) and Jesus Ochoa added an interception.

Eric Guevara brought the hometown crowd to its feet with 28 seconds left in the first half when teammate Nathan Gaines forced a fumble and Guevara scooped it up and rambled 75 yards to tie the score at 14-14.

Ty Herrin (9 of 16 passing, 143 yards, three interceptions) got Ripon on the board early in the second period on a 2-yard plunge and directed a 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 4-yard touchdown run by Xzavier Clark (14 carries, 85 yards) on fourth down and goal to go from the 4-yard line with 2:05 left in the game for a 21-20 Indians lead.  

“We didn’t make as many mistakes as we did last week against Sonora,” Ripon coach Chris Musseman said. “But the mistakes we made were so critical and so crucial to what was going on. That’s the reason we lost tonight. We had five or six bad snaps on plays that if we would have just executed were there.

“We played more physical tonight than last week. I am proud of the fight that they had and the lack of quit because things didn’t go our way early and it would have been easy to fold and we didn’t and I am really proud of that.”

Next Friday night the Lancers host Enochs at 7 and Ripon hosts Calaveras at 7:30.